From the AGM - Chairman's Report and Committee Members

For those of you who were unable to attend the AGM we have published below the Chairman's report together with the contact details for the newly elected committee.  

You will note that committee members are allocated areas of responsibility.  These are mainly a convenience for such things as the distribution of flyers and collection of subscriptions.  Do feel free to contact any member of the committee if you have an issue you would like to raise.

CHAIRMAN’S REPORT

Good evening all

 And so another year in the history of Bourne End and the Village Association passes and  I believe we have had another good year for the village.  I would like to thank the BEVA Committee for their hard work and also to thank John Mawer for all his work in producing the Bourne Ender and flyers, Mike Pritchard for his work on planning and the Accounts; and my wife, Jean, for being our secretary, sorting me out when required and keeping me in order.

During the year we have helped to raise nearly £3,000 for charity.  The year started with the Remembrance Ceremony last November and our thanks go to Jenny at The Anchor for sustenance after the event.  This was followed by two evenings of Carol Singing in December, which helped towards the charity fund-raising.   We then had a very successful Quiz Night in February and an enjoyable Jazz Night in April.  The annual Village Show in July again demonstrated what a good spirit we have in the village.   It is a really fun event and this year the prizes were awarded by our local Councillor, Gbola Adeleke, who is currently the Mayor of Dacorum.  We have also been litter-picking, after which Jenny at The Anchor again kindly provided us with coffee and biscuits. 

We have at last got a speed sign in the village, which has helped to cut down the speed of traffic along the London Road.  

Many thanks are due to Mike Pritchard and John Mawer for the work they put in to get the monstrous warehouse scheme rejected.  We have since been in talks with the developers, planners and Councillor to get a much better development for the village, which includes both houses and industrial units/warehouses.  We organised an open meeting so that we could inform everyone in the village and they could decide whether to accept or object to it.  The developers also held an exhibition to show the village what their plans are.

We have also instigated ongoing talks with The Watermill and the Council planners to try to sort out difficult problems for them and their neighbours, and find a way forward.

We are still trying to get a footpath sorted out along London Road and believe that if the proposed development on the industrial estate goes ahead, some money may be made available to assist with this project.  Another priority is to try to get a speed reduction sign sited by the church before reaching the 30 mph sign.

As Chairman I have enjoyed my year in office.  I would like to thank my hard-working Committee once again and to say that whether or not you are on the Committee, we can always do with some extra help to push our village forward.  Please let’s hear from you.

Gordon Rolfe

Committee 2015-2016